Bill to Gut Local Campaign Finance Laws Blasted by League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and California Clean Money Campaign

1. AB 1430 would prevent cities and counties from enacting any laws that would restrict the funneling of large contributions through political parties to benefit candidates – even when the candidate, party, and donor coordinate the payment and expenditure. Without such safeguards, local contribution limits would be rendered meaningless. Contribution limits are a fundamental and constitutional means that cities and counties can and do use to prevent corruption and the appearance of corruption in their elections. AB 1430 would create an enormous loophole in these laws, allowing special interest groups to use large campaign contributions to dominate city elections and exert undue influence over city officials.

2. The right of cities and counties to regulate their own elections is enshrined in the state constitution and Political Reform Act. AB 1430 threatens to abridge these rights, substituting the view of the state legislature for that of voters and local officials as to what campaign finance laws best meet the needs of local jurisdictions. This is why the ethics commissions of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all either oppose or have asked their city council to oppose AB 1430, and the San Diego Union Tribune and Los Angeles Times have editorialized against the bill as well.

What exactly is the problem this bill is intended to address? The state legislature has passed the exact same law which they would prohibit cities and counties from adopting and enforcing with this bill. If this is truly about ‘free speech’, how come the legislature isn’t holding itself to the same standard?

AB 1430 has passed the Assembly and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Elections Committee on July 10. The League of Women Voters of California, California Common Cause, and the California Clean Money Campaign are urging the members of the Senate Elections Committee to vote against this bill.

Other resources:

San Diego Union Tribune -- No on AB 1430 Editorial (6/22)

Los Angeles Times -- No on AB 1430 (6/19)

Ned Wigglesworth, joined Common Cause as a policy advocate earlier this year, after working as a corporate lawyer, bartender and creative writer. From these experiences and his time spent growing up on a sheep farm in Kansas, Ned brings a common-sense populist perspective to the problem of big money in politics.